Olympia, WA Road Trips

Olympia's art and music scene is unusually large and active for a town of its size, and its identity as a city remains distinct despite strong influences from Seattle, Tacoma and Everett to the north and from Portland/Vancouver to the south. It is the home to the Evergreen State College, one of six public four-year schools in Washington. The city's downtown has been designated as a National Historic District, and is surrounded by natural beauty. From downtown, one can see the Olympic Mountains to the northwest set behind Puget Sound's Budd Bay, as well as the towering Mt. Rainier to the southeast set next to the state capitol building and Capitol Lake. Experience Olympia website

1 Bigelow House Museum, 918 Glass Ave NE, ☏ +1 360-753-1215. Summer: Sa Su 1-4PM. Olympia's oldest surviving home, built in 1850s when Washington was a territory. Oregon Trail Pioneers Daniel and Ann Elizabeth Bigelow were early advocates of women's voting rights, public education and the rule of law. Home to the same family until 2005, it contains original furnishings, photos and documents dating back to the 1860s. Donation. 2 The Evergreen State College, 2700 Evergreen Pkwy NW, ☏ +1 360-867-6000. Public baccalaureate liberal arts college, known for alumni such as Kathleen Hanna (Bikini Kill), Carrie Brownstein (Sleater-Kinney, Portlandia) and Matt Groening (The Simpsons). Beautiful forested campus with miles of secluded hiking trails and beach access. (updated May 2019) 3 Washington State Capitol Building, 416 Sid Snyder Ave, ☏ +1 360-902-8880, [email protected]. Grounds dawn-dusk, building M-F 7ː30AM-5PM, Sa Su & most holidays 11AM-4PM. One of the largest freestanding masonry domes in the world. Hourly walk-in building tours. Separate botanical tours of the landscaping of West Capitol Campus, designed by the Olmstead Brothers firm, are offered M-F by appointment only. free. (updated Jun 2025) 4 Washington Governor's Mansion, [email protected]. (updated Jun 2025) 5 Olympic Flight Museum, 7637-A Old Hwy 99 SE, ☏ +1 360-705-3925. Sa Su 11AM-4PM. Historical aircraft with a focus on World War II to Vietnam period. (updated Jun 2025)

Olympia has a thriving music community, with frequent local performances by rock, jazz, blues, folk, and other bands. Chehalis Western Trail (the 1 North trailhead is in the Woodward Bay Conservation Area while the 2 South trailhead is at 7300 Rainier Ave SE). Always open. Great rail trail for bicycling. The Trail is paved and close to 20 miles (32 km) long. Goes along lakes, farms, orchards, suburban developments and a river. 3 Hands On Children's Museum, 414 Jefferson St NE, ☏ +1 360-956-0818. The Hands On Children's Museum stimulates curiosity, creativity and learning through fun, interactive exhibits and programs for children. 4 Washington Center For The Performing Arts, 512 Washington Street SE (along Washington St between 5th Ave & Legion Way Se), ☏ +1 360-753-8585. South Puget Sound's largest performing arts facility provides a wide variety of entertainment and cultural activities. South Sound Wine Trail, [email protected]. The South Sound Wine Trail extends from Lacey through Olympia to Shelton and includes 7 wineries. Includes stops at Medicine Creek Winery, Madsen Family Cellars, Northwest Mountain Winery, Stottle Winery, Olympia Wine Tasting Bar (McCrea Cellars & Vina Salida), and Walter Dacon. During your tour you will often have the chance to speak with the winemakers and owners to receive unique insight into their wines.

1 O'Blarneys, 4411 Martin Way E (near I-5 exit 109.), ☏ +1 360-459-8084, fax: +1 360-456-0674. If you like chicken, try the "Breasts and Jos". 2 Eastside Big Tom Drive Inn:, 2023 4th Ave E, ☏ +1 360-357-4852. A Big Tom with the works. Milkshakes and crinkle fries are also excellent. Bring cash and a hearty appetite. 3 Anthony's Homeport, 704 Columbia Street NW, ☏ +1 360-357-9700. On Olympia waterfront. Upper scale fine dining. 4 McMenamin's Spar Cafe (The Spar), 114 4th Ave. E, ☏ +1 360-357-6444. Su-Th 7AM - midnight, F Sa 7AM-1AM. The oldest restaurant/bar in town, dating back to the 1930s. Great atmosphere, food and libations. 5 Vic's Pizzeria, 233 Division St NW, ☏ +1 360-943-8044. One of the most popular restaurants in Olympia with excellent and often unusual flavors of pizza. All of them are delicious. 6 Old School Pizzeria, 108 Franklin St, ☏ +1 360-786-9640. Very similar to Vic's. Movie posters line the walls of this restaurant. (updated Dec 2017) Brewery City Pizza. 3 locations in Olympia. Another very popular pizzeria.

1 The Mark, 407 Columbia Street SW, ☏ +1 360-754-4414. Th-Sa 5PM – 1AM, and M-W by private hire. The Mark is the only certified organic restaurant in Washington. Local ingredients are used when possible. Banquet facilities available. Reservations recommended. 2 ilk Lodge, 515 Jefferson Street SE, ☏ +1 360-539-7161. Beer and burgers. 3 McCoy's Tavern (McCoy's), 418 4th Ave E, ☏ +1 360-352-0696. 9AM-2AM. The best dive bar in Olympia. Loud music, graffiti, cheap strong drinks and a sweet outdoor patio. "Like hanging out with the roadies after an awesome show" (updated Dec 2017) 4 Le Voyuer, 404 4th Ave E, ☏ +1 360-878-9748. 11:30AM-2AM. Arty dive restaurant, lounge and performance venue with a vegan heavy menu, particularly well fried garlic fries. Large diverse international and domestic bottle beer fridge and local/domestics on tap. All-age performance venue till 10PM, well-known for its punk shows. (updated Dec 2017)

1 DoubleTree by Hilton, 415 Capitol Way N, ☏ +1 360-570-0555, toll-free: +1-360-570-1200. (updated Aug 2017) 2 Swantown Inn Bed & Breakfast, 1431 11th Ave SE, ☏ +1 360-753-9123. Check-in: 4PM, check-out: 11AM. A 1887 Queen Anne/Eastlake Victorian Mansion listed on both the city and state historical registers. Located in a quiet neighborhood. $119 - 179.

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac) is the nearest commercial airport. Olympia Regional Airport, in neighboring Tumwater, offers private and charter flights. Olympia is along Interstate 5 (I-5), approximately 65 mi (105 km) south of Seattle (65 min) and 100 mi (160 km) (2 hr) north of Portland. Olympia is accessed from exits #99 ("93rd Ave SW") through #109 ("Martin Way E"). Downtown can be accessed from Exit #105 ("State Capitol City Center/Port of Olympia") from both directions. The off ramp comes into town as 14th Ave SE towards the state capitol. From the northbound lanes the off ramp from Exit #105 further splits to #105A which goes into 14th Ave SE or #105B which goes into Plum Ave SE on the east side of the downtown core. Or exit off at Pacific Ave at Exit #107 which comes into downtown as State Ave NE. From Aberdeen and Grays Harbor, go east on State Route 8 (SR-8) until it merges with US-101 5 mi (8.0 km) west of the city. From Port Angeles and the Olympic Peninsula, go south on US Highway 101 (US-101). It joins with I-5 near the city center. From Kitsap Peninsula, go south on State Route 3 (SR-3) and follow signs for " South Belfair" Continue south along WA-3 through Belfair and Shelton where it ends into US-101 south of Shelton. Merges into a freeway continuing east into Olympia as US-101 or west to Aberdeen as SR-8. 1 Greyhound Lines & Flixbus, (bus stop) Olympia Transit Center @ 205 Franklin St NE (Bay 'N' at NE part of transit block towards Franklin St NE & Olympia Ave NE), ☏ +1 360-357-5541, toll-free: +1-800-231-2222.

Olympia's numbered streets run East-West, and the city is broken into four quadrants with the center point in downtown. Northwest, Northeast, Southwest and Southeast. These indicators come after any address. Capitol Way is the main north-south street in the downtown area. Fourth Avenue is the main connector that runs through downtown east-west. The city's downtown district lies in the middle of what residents refer to as the Westside and the Eastside. Most residents of the city will claim these two areas are distinctively different. Intercity Transit, ☏ +1 360-786-1881, toll-free: +1-800-287-6348. Operates local buses in and around Olympia, Lacey, and Tumwater. Routes 600 and 610 travel between Olympia and Tacoma via Lacey. $1.25 per trip or $2.50 for a day pass. (updated Sep 2022)

As the state capitol, Olympia sees all sorts of protests and political demonstrations. Some of these groups may have causes or tactics that make you deeply uncomfortable, such as extremist groups and militias.